


Kitty

by Kaatyr



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Transformation, Humor, M/M, One Shot, School, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaatyr/pseuds/Kaatyr
Summary: “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”Leorio knelt, his long arm stretched out. He shook the mouse toy, causing it to jingle enticingly.His prey stared haughtily at him, as if to say, “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”Leorio befriends a stray cat.
Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Kudos: 64





	Kitty

“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.”

Leorio knelt, his long arm stretched out. He shook the mouse toy, causing it to jingle enticingly.

His prey stared haughtily at him, as if to say, “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

Leorio rocked back on his heels, discouraged. “Okay, I’ve tried everything, you little beast. Milk, food, toys, what the fuck do you want?”

“So much for the renowned Paladiknight charm,” observed the peanut gallery sardonically.

Leorio turned his head to glare at Killua, who was sitting on a desk, feet propped on a chair, casually working his way through a bag of potato chips.

“I don’t see you lifting a finger to help,” Leorio hissed.

“If it wants to stay under there, so what?” Killua challenged. “It’s probably a flea-infested stray. Forget about it, teach.”

Leorio ducked his head to peer back beneath the bookshelf. His quarry was tucked right back into the corner, too far back for even Leorio’s long arm to reach. The awkward angle didn’t help much, either.

“He’s probably someone’s pet,” Leorio argued.

“No one’s mentioned losing a cat,” Killua pointed out. “We aren’t even allowed to bring pets to class, anyway.”

Leorio snorted. “Yes, and all of my students are such angels and they always follow the rules.”

“Yeah, totally,” said the devil on the desk, who certainly did not always follow the rules.

Leorio stood and stretched his arms, before dropping the mouse toy on a desk.

“You could ask the janitor to move the shelf?” Killua suggested, finally deigning to offer some useful advice instead of snarky commentary.

“Hisoka? No way,” Leorio said, making his way back to his desk at the front of the room. Killua hopped off the desk and returned to his own, where his homework book was already open, pages covered in his messy scrawl.

The cat had been hiding under that shelf at the back of Leorio’s sixth grade classroom for the past two days. All attempts to lure the fluffy white feline out had failed dismally. Leorio was at his wit’s end. He couldn’t take hearing the thing’s pitiful meows anymore.

Killua, one of his students, was an unwilling observer to Leorio’s latest attempts, due to the fact that he was serving detention. He and his friend Gon, a boy from Machi’s class, had been caught trying to climb on top of the sports supplies shed.

Killua was a little shit, but Leorio had to admit that he was also one of his favourite students. Killua was brutally honest, and very intelligent when he wanted to be. Witty, as well. From what Leorio knew of his home life, it wasn’t good. Killua didn’t seem in the least bothered by his detention, so the rapport in the room between teacher and student was currently quite friendly.

“You could ask that hot librarian for help,” Killua suggested slyly.

“Double no way,” Leorio said, sitting down on the edge of his desk, his eyes lingering on the bookshelf. If he could have moved it himself, he would have, but it would be far too heavy, even with all of its contents removed.

“Besides, Kurta didn’t come to work today,” Leorio added. “Headmaster Lucilfer said he’s sick.”

Killua scoffed. “Headmaster Lucilfer is a—“

“Killua,” Leorio said warningly. Sometimes Killua was a little too honest.

Killua slumped in his seat, face settling into a thoughtful scowl. “Y’know, maybe Gon could get the cat out,” he suggested. “He’s really good with animals.”

Leorio sighed. “Is this just an excuse for the two of you to get up to more mischief?” he asked.

“We both have to do detention, don’t we? I don’t see why we can’t do it together, especially since it’s supervised, right?”

Killua had a good argument. “All right. Let’s go ask Miss Komacine,” Leorio decided.

Machi was happy to let Leorio take over the rest of Gon’s detention, allowing her to leave early. Gon, too, was agreeable to helping with Leorio’s cat problem.

To Leorio’s surprise, Gon and Killua put their heads together and built what they called a ‘cat-catcher’; a device that consisted of a ruler with a loop of string attached to the end. Leorio was highly skeptical when the two budding inventors presented it to him, but the device actually worked.

A yowling, furious cat was dragged as gently as possible out from under the bookshelf. Leorio hastily reached for him before either of the sixth graders could, just in case the cat tried to scratch them.

But the cat didn’t scratch, though he wriggled fiercely in Leorio’s grip.

“Aw, he’s gorgeous,” Gon cooed.

“It’s okay, kitty. Don’t be scared,” Leorio told the cat.

Killua rolled his eyes, then returned to his desk, done with the problem.

Gon scratched behind one of the cat’s pointed ears. “He’s a Turkish Angora,” he announced. “See how long his tail and ears are.”

The cat, having stopped struggling, shook like a leaf in a gale against Leorio’s chest.

“Do you know who he belongs to?” Leorio asked Gon.

“No. Maybe he’s a stray that just wandered in here and got scared?” Gon suggested. “He’s a bit skinny.” Gon moved his fingers to the cat’s scruff. “He’s got really unique eyes,” he added.

Leorio had noticed the eyes, too. They were a burning crimson colour. Not natural for a cat, he guessed. Not that he was any kind of expert, though.

“…Are you going to keep him?” Gon inquired.

“He might not stay, Gon,” Leorio said regretfully.

“But he looks pretty comfortable to me,” Gon observed.

And, damn, the kid was right. The cat was still shivering, but had tucked himself as close to Leorio as he could get. In fact, he was currently trying to bury his nose into the open collar of Leorio’s button-up shirt.

“That’s probably the only boyfriend he’ll ever get,” Killua snarked from the front of the room. “Since he’s too chicken to ask Kurta out.”

“Shut up, you little brat,” Leorio said without heat. It was hard to be angry with an armful of fluffy, warm white cat.

“Do you have any cat food?” Gon asked, his hand sliding off the cat’s fur.

“Biscuits,” Leorio said. “I left some out last night. I think he came out and ate some, but it must have been when no one was here.”

Leorio directed Gon over to the cabinet where he’d left the cat supplies he’d purchased yesterday during his lunch break. Gon filled a bowl with biscuits, and another with water.

“I could go to the staffroom and get milk?” Killua offered.

Gon beamed at him. “That’d be great, Killua. Thanks.”

Leorio, amused by the blush spreading across Killua’s cheeks, didn’t argue with that plan. Those two were so damned cute.

Leorio warily lowered the cat to the floor. He half-expected the feline to take the opportunity to bolt back under the bookshelf, but instead the cat eyed him with equal wariness.

“Go on, kitty. You must be hungry,” Leorio coaxed.

The cat stepped daintily over to the food bowl, sniffed the contents suspiciously, then turned to give Leorio a haughty look, as if to say, “Really? This is the best you’ve got?” Oddly, the look reminded Leorio of the librarian’s expression when he’d first met the pretty young man.

Fuck. So what if Leorio couldn’t understand the instructions on the copier. The guy didn’t have to be such an ass about it.

The cat began to eat the biscuits with an air of, “I suppose if I’ve got no choice…” What an arrogant little shit.

Gon dangled the red cat collar from one finger. “It matches his eyes,” he said approvingly as the bell jingled.

Leorio took it, though he didn’t risk disturbing the cat just yet. When the cat was done with the biscuits, he lapped briefly at the water, before turning back to Leorio and Gon. When he caught sight of the collar, his tail went straight up and he hissed.

“If you don’t have a collar, everyone will think you’re a common stray,” Leorio informed the cat, while seriously questioning his sanity. It wasn’t as if the cat could understand him… but maybe the sound of his voice alone would help? “No one will want to pet you because they’ll think you have fleas, or you’re dirty.”

Pristine white fur bristled as Leorio knelt. He crooked his fingers at the cat. Reluctantly, the cat came forward for a scratch beneath his chin. Leorio slipped the collar around his neck.

“He needs a name,” Gon pointed out as Killua entered the room, carton of milk in hand.

“My vote is for Freeloader,” Killua suggested as he tipped the water dish out in the sink at the back of the room and refilled it with milk.

Leorio, who was playing a little game with the cat, the cat batting disdainfully at his wriggling fingers, glared back at Killua.

“What about Pika?”

The cat froze, and so did everyone else in the room. Leorio slowly stood, wiping fur off his hands and onto his navy blue trousers. He faced the door with trepidation.

Headmaster Lucilfer stood in the doorway, smiling amicably at the scene.

“Um, the cat’s not mine,” Leorio tried to explain. “I think he’s a stray.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mr Paladiknight. It’s not a problem,” Lucilfer said easily.

The cat, however, did seem to have a problem. He slid behind Leorio’s legs, poking his head around Leorio’s ankle to hiss at the headmaster. Gon and Killua remained silent, watching warily.

“Why Pika?” Leorio asked eventually.

“I had a cat once named Pika,” Lucilfer said with a shrug. “Name it whatever you like, though. Just be sure to clean up after it. I don’t want the parents complaining that their child caught a disease from it.”

So, was that permission to keep the cat? Leorio supposed it was.

“Pika’s a cute name,” Gon said reluctantly.

“Isn’t the librarian’s name Kurapika?” Killua murmured, barely loud enough to be heard.

Leorio bent to pick up the cat, who fixed Lucilfer with a hateful glare. Wow, the cat sure had taken a strong dislike to Lucilfer on sight. Was it the man’s cologne?

“I guess Pika is as good a name as any,” Leorio conceded. And it was a big improvement on Killua’s suggestion.

Kurapika glared disdainfully at the headmaster’s back as the smug bastard left the room. If he thought he could get away with it, he would have gone for the bastard’s face.

However, that would almost completely guarantee that he’d end up getting euthanised. Kurapika wouldn’t give Lucilfer the excuse—or the satisfaction. The bastard appeared to be getting enough satisfaction from just the knowledge that Kurapika was now stuck as a cat.

The only satisfaction Kurapika could find in the situation was the scratches he’d left on Lucilfer’s forearms after his forced transformation, marks that were hidden beneath the sleeves of Lucilfer’s suit jacket. Kurapika hoped they hurt.

If Lucilfer thought that being stuck as a cat would make Kurapika more amenable to Lucilfer’s sexual advances, then the headmaster was in for a rude shock.

“What do you think, kitty? Is Pika a good name?”

Oh, God, that was so cute, Kurapika had to admit. He’d never heard the tall, dorky teacher use that particular cooing tone before. Kurapika wanted to laugh, or purr in contentment. How did these people know just where to touch him to make him feel all limp and serene? It totally wasn’t fair.

“I think he likes it. He’s purring.”

“Looks like it’s Pika, then.”

“Aw, I wish I was in your class, Mr Paladiknight. Can my class borrow him for a day?”

“Maybe, Gon. But not for a little while. He’s probably still a bit skittish.”

Kurapika yawned, the stress and uncertainty, as well as the strangeness of the last two days catching up to him. Going to sleep sounded like a fantastic idea. Mr Paladiknight’s long fingers rubbed behind one ear, and Kurapika melted.

“…I wonder if he should be neutered?”

Mr Paladiknight’s thoughtful question brought Kurapika out of his doze with a jolt that caused the teacher to nearly drop him. Kurapika dropped out of his hold, landed on four paws, then bolted for the bookshelf which had been his refuge for the past two days, his tail high.

No way. Absolutely not. Lucilfer was a dead man—as soon as Kurapika figured out how to undo the spell and return to his human body.

“Oops. I guess he really doesn’t like that idea,” Mr Paladiknight said regretfully. “Here, Pika. Come here, kitty. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Kurapika eyed the stupid, jingling mouse toy in the teacher’s hand with disdain. Dead. Absolutely dead.


End file.
